The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of Sudan has announced a call for expressions of interest from consultants to support the deployment of 1,170 solar-powered irrigation pumps across two states of the country. The pumps will be installed on farms in North Kordofan, in the center of the East African nation, and further south in the West Kordofan region. The last date to apply for consultants is September 14, 2021.
The solar pump program is being financed by a grant from the African Development Bank. The document announcing the call for expressions of interest has not specified the amount of funding. The program will also include pump repair and maintenance facilities, along with the establishment of an equipment testing lab
Sudan has seen very little development in renewable energy so far. However, of late, it has been making some progress. In June 2021, Sudanese bank, Sanabel, a subsidiary of the Bank of Khartoum recently launched the African country’s first green sukuk. The $11.3 million (4.75 billion Sudanese pounds) investment fund will finance renewable energy projects for commercial use. In November 2020, the Sudanese transitional government signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the development of the electricity sector in Sudan through the construction of several photovoltaic solar power plants. The agreement of intent foresees the production of 500 MWp from solar energy, which the country, with its desert climate, has enormous potential.
